Ride of Your Life
by ma531419
Summary: I think this is just going to be a threeshot, maybe one or more chapters added to it if necessary. Gabi's homelife is tough, so she runs. The police think she's dead, when she returns what changes will await her? TROYELLA!
1. Concrete Angel

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Concrete Angel

Gabriella sighed as she got out of bed. She slipped downstairs quietly, not wanting to wake her mother up. She glanced in her bedroom as she walked past, there was another random stranger in her bed, and the floor was littered with empty bottles. She walked down the steps and into the kitchen. She quickly packed a lunch and headed out the door, locking it behind her.

_**She walks to school with the lunch she packed**_

On her way she passed students that were laughing and talking, all having a good time. She made her way to her locker, where her "friends" were waiting. She gave them a confident smile, putting her home life out of her mind.

_**Nobody knows what she's holding back**_

"Gabs, didn't you wear those jeans yesterday?" leave it to Sharpay Evans to recall a pair of jeans.

"Yeah, I couldn't find my other dark pair of pants so, I had to repeat, but no one but you would notice." Gabriella replied dryly.

_**Wearing the same dress she wore yesterday**_

_**She hides the bruises with her linen and lace, oh**_

The bell rang and the group walked into homeroom. Mrs. Darbus looked at Gabriella again, she really was the best student in the class, she had this class for English and homeroom, so she would know. Cathleen Darbus would never admit it, but she did have a favorite student, it was Gabriella Montez. "Something is going on with her." Cathleen thought, "She's lost her sparkle."

_**The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask**_

_**It's hard to see the pain behind the mask**_

Gabi smiled and laughed with her friends, but on the inside she was crying, and slowly crumbling to the ground.

_**Bearing the burden of a secret storm**_

_**Sometimes she wishes she was never born**_

The day ended and Gabi made her way home slowly, this was the worst part. She unlocked the door and looked at the fresh mess. She put her backpack on the ground and began to slowly clean. After two hours the house was spotless again. She picked up her bag and carried it upstairs. She locked her room door and began to do her homework. After she was finished she opened up her balcony doors and walked outside, it was pouring, but the rain felt so good.

_**Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone.**_

The front door opened. "Gabriella!" Gabi sighed and walked downstairs. The minute she made it to the landing a hand connected with her face. She went crashing to the floor. Before she could get up a foot kicked in her stomach, hard. She pulled herself up. "Dinner." Her mother commanded. Gabi nodded weakly and went to the kitchen.

As she cooked she heard giggling from the living room, and a deep voice. Another man. She put the dinner on two trays and walked it into the living room, she set it down on the table and waited for further instruction. "Go." She nodded slightly and went up to her room, locking the door behind her.

_**In a world she can't rise above**_

She curled up on her bed and fell asleep, falling into sweet dreams.

_**But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place**_

_**Where she's loved concrete angel. **_

She woke up sobbing, she heard crashing all around the house, and moaning. Her mom and her latest boy toy were making their way upstairs, probably for round two. She tried to quiet her sobs, so her mother wouldn't here.

_**Somebody cries in the middle of the night. **_

She got up and went to sit on the balcony. It was only 10 PM. She shut the doors and began to loudly wail as she could still hear what was going on inside. She clutched her stomach, which was bruising badly.

_**The neighbors hear but they turn out the light. **_

Troy looked up from his computer and towards his open window, it sounded like crying, he shrugged it off and turned the computer off to get into bed.

_**A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate**_

_**When morning comes it will be too late**_

In the middle of the night Gabriella woke with a start. "I have to get out of here." She mumbled. She grabbed a bag and packed up quickly. She quietly walked downstairs and went into their "junk drawer", they kept about 200 there. She then slipped back up to her room. She walked out to her balcony, tossing one glance over her shoulder. She pulled the bag over her shoulder and climbed down the tree.

_**Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone. **_

_**In a world that she can't rise above**_

_**But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place **_

_**Where she's loved concrete angel. **_

Gabi took her ATM card out of her bag and put it in the machine. She withdrew all the money in her account: 5,500. She sighed as she walked to the bus stop. She waited until the bus that would go to the airport came, she stood there, letting the rain wash her tears away.

The next day she wasn't at school, Cathleen Darbus called the house and found that she wasn't there, her mother sounded hung-over. Cathleen went to the principal's office and together they filed a police report.

_**A statue stands in a shaded place**_

_**An angel girl with an upturned face**_

_**A name is written on a polished rock**_

_**A broken heart that the world forgot**_

After a year of searching she was proclaimed dead. There was no service held for her, no burial, nothing. Troy, Sharpay, Taylor, Chad, Zeke, Kelsi, Ryan, and Jason all put money together and got a headstone.

Gabriella Elizabeth Montez

12.14.89-3.2.08

Great Friend, Sister, and Girlfriend

_**Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone**_

_**In a world that she can't rise above**_

Gabriella walked out of the little L.A. beach diner, ready to go home for the day. She was tired, exhausted really. She smiled as she looked up at the moon, brightly shining over the water. She walked into her tiny one-bedroom apartment and sat down with her school books, she was taking online classes at UCLA, she was practicing to become a teacher of science and math.

_**But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place **_

_**Where she's loved concrete angel**_

Maybe one day she'd even return to Albuquerque and teach at East High.

AN: Okay that was kind of sad, but I was listening to my iPod AGAIN and it came up, so yeah, now I think I need to write a happy cheesy oneshot. Hm, I'm kind of getting into these music-based oneshots lol!

Song: Concrete Angel by Martina McBride

Review!

Mollie XOXO


	2. Ride of Your Life

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Ride of Your Life

"Gabriella what the hell are you still doing here?" Lindsay scolded her best friend of 5 years.

"What do you mean Linds? I work here." Gabi said in a duh tone

"Why? You're done with college! Go back home honey! Teach, do what you want to do. What about your dream?"

_**Wishing on a shooting star**_

_**But dreams alone won't get you far**_

_**Can't deny your feelings anymore**_

_**The world is waiting right outside your door**_

_**What are you waiting for?**_

"Lindsay I can't just pack up and go." Gabi argued

"Why not? That's what you did when you came here. And now you have a more substantial sum of money. Come on. I'll even go with you." Lindsay offered, her friend had to get out of L.A.

"You would?" Gabi asked hopefully. Lindsay nodded

_**Come on, here's your chance**_

_**Don't let it slip right through your hands**_

_**Are you ready for the ride of your life?**_

_**Your dreams are riding on the wind**_

_**Just reach out and pull them in and**_

_**Get ready for the ride of your life**_

_**The ride of your life**_

"That's the last of it." Gabi said, the last box was in their car. The two girls got in and began the long drive from Los Angeles to Albuquerque. They took turns driving, this was it. Gabi was going home for the first time since she ran away, afraid of her mother's wrath, but this time she was on her own, she wouldn't be living with her.

_**In your heart you know what you must do**_

_**You've only got yourself to answer to**_

_**Don't let fear of falling hold you down**_

_**Your spirit's flying high above the clouds**_

_**You're glory bound**_

Gabi sighed as she and Lindsay placed the last two boxes on the living room floor of their tiny two-bedroom apartment. They began to move the boxes to the proper rooms and unpack them. Four hours later they were satisfied with the work they had accomplished.

"When's the interview?" Lindsay asked

"Tomorrow at 9, I'm so nervous." Gabi stated, taking a shaky sip of her beer

"You'll do great." Lindsay assured her, also sipping at her bear.

"What about you? When's your big moment?" Gabi asked with a smile

"Thursday at 11. Should be interesting. Lava Springs is a huge place, I can't believe I might be the chef." Gabi nearly spit out her drink. "What?" Lindsay asked her

"Lava Springs?" Gabi choked. Lindsay nodded, "Oh my G-d, the Evans own that. I wonder if Ryan or Sharpay or both of them have taken over it or if Claire and Doug still run it." Gabi put her head in her hands.

"Wait your friends Ryan and Sharpay?" Gabi nodded her response. "Why didn't I put that together: Ryan Evans is the owner." Gabi moaned.

"Well good luck. Just don't tell them you know me. They might get pissed." Gabi sighed.

The next morning at 8:45 Gabi walked through the doors of East High, it was filled with students, she sighed as memories filled her mind. She walked past screaming students, all full of life, as she had once been.

_**Come on here's your chance**_

_**Don't let it slip right through your hands**_

_**Are you ready for the ride of your life yea**_

_**Your dreams are riding on the wind**_

_**Just reach out and pull them in and**_

_**Get ready for the ride of your life**_

_**Ride of your life**_

The interview went smoothly, there was a new principal, Mrs. Taylor. She was nice and as Gabi was leaving she said, "Welcome to East High Ms. Montez". Gabi smiled

"Thank you Mrs. Taylor." She got the job!

_**You are on your way no looking back**_

_**There's no future living in the past**_

_**You're free at last yeah**_

_**You're free at last**_

"Oh I'm sorry." Gabi ran into someone. She looked up into the familiar blue eyes that she had dreamed about every night since she left.

"Ella?" Troy asked

"Hi Troy." Gabi whispered

"Troy Bolton what is taking you so long? We've been waiting for 10 minutes, Chad finally sent us out as a search party. Oh for G-d's sake, would you stop flirting and just come on. Zeke baked just for us, it's the anniversary of her death, and you're here flirting with- Oh my G-d." Taylor stopped her rant

"Hey Taylor." Gabi sighed, this wasn't supposed to happen this early.

"What are you two doing. Ryan specifically canceled a golf game to be here and you're dillydallying." Sharpay yelled at them "Oh hey Boo." Sharpay did a double take, "Gabriella?"

"Hi Pay."

Troy snapped out of it, he grabbed Gabi's arm and dragged her to Sharpay's classroom, everyone was waiting. "Oh my G-d." was the response

"Hey guys." She said

_**Come on here's your chance**_

_**Don't let it slip right through your hands**_

_**Are you ready for the ride of your life yea**_

_**Your dreams are riding on the wind**_

_**Just reach out and pull them in and**_

_**Get ready for the ride of your life**_

_**Ride of your life**_

"Um, I guess you want an explanation." Gabi whispered

"You're dead." Jason said, Gabi looked at him confused and sighed. She quietly chronicled where she'd been and why she left without a word.

_**Come on, come on get ready**_

_**Yea, yea, yea**_

_**Your dreams are riding on the wind**_

_**Just reach out and pull them in**_

_**Get ready for the ride of your life**_

"So I'm back now, and I'll be starting here next fall."

Song: Ride of your life by John Gregory

Review!

Mollie XOXO


	3. Not in This Life

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Not in This Life

Gabi looked around at her old friends that thought she had been dead for five years. She sighed, "I'm sorry guys. I just couldn't handle it. I had to get out."

"That doesn't excuse you." Taylor spat

"I'm sure it doesn't Taylor. Because I'm sure that you can look at the situation in its whole light and make the best possible decision. Even if you were only 18 years old and right smack dab in the middle of the situation, being beaten by your own mother. I'm sure that you are just that fucking amazing Taylor." Gabi stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Everyone sat in shocked silence, "That could've gone better." Jason commented.

"Ya think genius?" Sharpay hissed

"Leave him alone, Shar, he's just trying to easy the tension." Kelsi defended her fiancée

"That's not possible." Ryan sighed

Gabi began walking, she didn't know where she was going, but she was going there.

_**Lately I've been walking all alone**_

_**Through the wind and through the rain**_

_**Been walking through the streets**_

_**Finding sweet relief in knowing that it won't be long**_

The fall came quickly, Gabi hadn't spoken to her old friends since that fateful day in the classroom, Lindsay had gotten the job as head chef at Lava Springs. She and Ryan had become increasingly close, they often had dinner or lunch, although he didn't know that she lived with Gabi, he'd never been over to the apartment. Even though she figured she'd really lost her friends, she knew that life was good.

_**Lately it's occurred to me**_

_**That I've had enough of that**_

_**And I've been satisfied by simple things**_

_**Like breathing in and breathing out**_

Gabi walked into her classroom the first day of school. She smiled, this just felt so right. She was teaching science, and she was so excited, she knew this was good, it was where she was supposed to be, no matter how she got there. She knew that it was a mistake, running like that. "I should've gone for help. And I shouldn't have lashed out at my friends. That wasn't necessary." She thought, oh well, what's done is done, and all I can do is not make the same mistake twice.

_**Never again, not in this life**_

_**Will I be taken twice**_

_**Never again, not on your life**_

_**Will I make the same mistake**_

_**I can't make it twice**_

She sat in her classroom after two successful classes, chemistry and biology, smiling, taking in all the energy that the students had to offer. There was a knock at her door. "Come in." She called out. Her mother walked in. Gabi's jaw dropped, what was she doing here?

"Hello Gabriella." He mom said

"Mother." Gabriella greeted her mom, in a cold voice. "Don't burn this bridge Gabi." She told herself "How are you?"

"Good, better. We thought you were dead."

"I ran away mom, I couldn't stand another night. Would you have been able to handle it?" Gabi hissed as the bell rang, "I have a class, you need to go." Isabella Montez nodded and left.

_**Lately it's occurred to me **_

_**Exactly what went wrong**_

_**I realized I compromised, I sacrificed **_

_**Far too much for far too long**_

Gabi sighed, thankfully the end of the day was rapidly approaching. The door to her classroom opened once again, "Great" she thought, "No be positive Gabi it might be good." She turned to look, it was Ryan.

"Hey Gem." Ryan said quietly

"Hey Ry" Gabi smiled, she shook her head and ran over to him, he engulfed her in a hug.

"Give it time, they'll all come around. It's you, it'll happen." He whispered in her ear.

"It just hurts. I know what I did was impulsive and irrational, but I didn't know how to handle the situation. It was too much." She explained

"Have you seen her?" he asked softly

"A little while ago, she came by. I was nice enough, but kicked her out when my class was starting." Gabi smiled sadly, "I'm not going to burn any bridges with anyone, I've already made that mistake with you guys."

"Not with me." Ryan smiled, he gave her a brotherly kiss on the forehead.

_**Never again, not in this life**_

_**Will I be taken twice**_

_**Never again, not on your life**_

_**Will I make that same mistake **_

_**I can't make it twice**_

"Gab?" Gabi looked to the door to see Lindsay coming in.

"Hey Linds, this is my friend Ryan Evans, come to think of it, isn't he your boss?" Gabi smiled

"Hey Lindsay." Ryan gave her a hug

"Hey Ryan!" Lindsay replied, gladly retuning the hug. Gabi giggled to herself, they were cute, this was actually all working out.

_**Starting out from here today**_

_**Swear I'm gonna change my ways**_

_**Once mistaken in this life**_

_**But never twice**_

"Well, classes are done, are they not?" Ryan asked

"Yup." Gabi smiled

"And you have the night off." Ryan commented. Lindsay nodded. "How about I take two pretty ladies out for dinner, my treat?"

"Sure!" they chorused

"Great, I guess you two will want to change" he smiled knowingly at Gabi. They nodded their heads and he followed them back to their small, but comfortable apartment.

Once they were ready they piled in Ryan's car and headed out for his favorite new restaurant. They were seated at his usual table and ordered a bottle of wine. They were quietly talking, munching on bread when the owner came out to greet Ryan, "Hey Ryan. I see you brought a friend with you and Lindsay. Brie?" Zeke said "You know Lindsay?"

"She's my best friend. I met her at the diner I worked at in L.A. had a similar situation to me, and was able to sympathize instead of judge." She kicked herself mentally for saying that, "burning bridges Gabi. Don't." She mentally ordered herself

"I thought we were your best friends." It was a soft, but sweet voice that I had missed

"You were Kels, but things change." She replied

"Not some things." It was Troy

"Oh, like what?" I challenged, "Be nice." She reminded herself, by now she had stood up and the whole restaurant was watching the scene.

"Not love." Troy said quietly, tears were building up in both of their eyes.

"You still love me?" She asked hopefully

"With all my heart." He took a step closer. Her breath hitched in her throat as he leaned down. She met him halfway in a kiss that they had both been longing for, for five whole years. His arms snaked around her waist as hers found his neck, and began to tangle in his hair, in an effort to pull him closer to her. He gently began to probe at her mouth with his tongue, she smiled as she opened her mouth. Their tongues clashed as they both moaned into the kiss. They began re-exploring each others mouths, gently going to every corner and crevice. Finally their tongues met again in a lover's dance, known only to them. Finally they pulled back when oxygen became necessary. As they steadied their ragged breathing, they kept their foreheads pressed together, nuzzling their noses.

"I knew you weren't dead El. Deep down in my heart I knew it, that's why I waited." He whispered huskily

"I waited, hoping I would see you again Wildcat." She breathed

"It was you. The last day we saw you, that night, I heard crying outside, but I stupidly ignored it, it was you wasn't it?" he asked, tears began to stream down her cheeks as she remembered the night that she left, she nodded and he wiped her tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"Never again, am I going to let someone hurt you." He told her

"And never again am I going to leave you." She responded

_**Never again, not in this life**_

_**Will I be taken twice**_

_**Never again, not on your life**_

_**Will I make that same mistake**_

_**Never again, not on your life**_

_**Will I make the same mistake**_

_**Can't make it twice**_

The whole restaurant applauded, as the couple blushed and their friends gathered all around them, congratulating them and welcoming Gabriella home.

_**Starting out from here today…**_

Song: Not in this life by Natalie Merchant

AN: Okay that's it, it was a threeshot! Review please!

Mollie XOXO


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